Dragon Ball (manga)

Dragon Ball
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Son Goku above Shenlong
ドラゴンボール (Doragon Bōru)
Genre	Adventure[1] Fantasy comedy[1] Martial arts[1]
Manga
Written by	Akira Toriyama
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	AUS: Madman Entertainment NA/UK: Viz Media
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
English magazine	NA: Weekly Shonen Jump Shonen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	November 20, 1984 – May 23, 1995
Volumes	42 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Dragon Ball (1986–1989) Dragon Ball Z (1989–1996)
Midquel
Dragon Ball Super (2015–present)
Media franchise
List of all Dragon Ball series List of all Dragon Ball films List of all Dragon Ball video games List of all Dragon Ball soundtracks

Dragon Ball (Japanese: ドラゴンボール, Hepburn: Doragon Bōru) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. Originally serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995, the 519 individual chapters were collected in 42 tankōbon volumes. Dragon Ball was inspired by the Chinese novel Journey to the West and Hong Kong martial arts films. It initially had a comedy focus but later became an action-packed fighting series. The story follows the adventures of Son Goku, from childhood to adulthood, as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the Dragon Balls, seven magical orbs which summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered. Along his journey, Goku makes several friends and battles villains, many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls.

The original manga was adapted into two anime series produced by Toei Animation: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, which were broadcast in Japan from 1986 to 1996. A media franchise has built up around the series; among the merchandise, there have been both animated and live-action films, collectible trading card games, action figures, collections of soundtracks, and numerous video games. The series was licensed for an English-language release in North America and the United Kingdom by Viz Media, and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. The companies initially split the manga into two parts, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z to match the anime series but the most recent edition of the series was released under its original title.

Dragon Ball has become one of the most successful manga series of all time. Its initial serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump was partly responsible for the magazine reaching its highest circulation of 6.53 million weekly sales. Its collected tankōbon volumes have over 160 million copies sold in Japan and 260 million sold worldwide,^[2][b] making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. Reviewers have praised the manga for its comedy, fight scenes, and pacing, while recognizing a coming-of-age theme and its use of cultural references from Chinese mythology and Japanese folktales. Complaints from parents in the United States resulted in English-language releases being edited to remove nudity, racial stereotypes, and other content.

Also regarded as one of the most influential manga series, Dragon Ball has inspired numerous manga artists, including Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), and Tite Kubo (Bleach). A "midquel" series, titled Dragon Ball Super, has been published in V Jump since 2015. It is written by Toriyama and illustrated by Toyotarou.

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